Margaret Daley - A Mother for Cindy

“Yes—I mean, no, not her exactly. Oreo. He’s gone. We can’t find him and she’s beside herself. You haven’t seen him, have you?”

“No.” She stepped out onto the porch and automatically scanned the area as though that would produce the errant kitten.

“I thought so, but I had to ask. I’m desperate. I promised Cindy I wouldn’t come home until I found Oreo. I’ve been up and down the street, along the lakeshore. Nothing.”

“What happened?”

“Oreo darted out the front door when Cindy came back from playing with Nate this morning.”

“I’ll get Gramps and Nate. We’ll come over and make some posters to put up around town. Cindy can help with them. It’ll make her feel better if she’s doing something.”

“When I left, she was in her room crying. She didn’t want to talk or do anything.”

“I’ll get the supplies we need and be right over.”

“What should I do in the meantime?”

“Hold Cindy.”

“I tried. She cried even louder.”

“That’s okay. Hold her anyway.” Jesse rushed back into her house to gather some poster board, markers and her family.

When they arrived at Nick’s house, Boswell immediately opened the door before Jesse had a chance to ring the bell. Silence greeted her as she entered. She hoped that meant that Cindy had calmed down.

As Boswell closed the door, the little girl, with Nick following, rushed into the foyer, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “You think we’ll be able to find Oreo? Daddy said you’re gonna help.”

The eager hopefulness in the child’s voice touched Jesse. She hated making promises she couldn’t keep, but it was hard not to say what Cindy wanted to hear. “If Oreo is in Sweetwater, we’ll find him.”

Heavenly Father, please help me find Oreo. Cindy has already lost a lot in her short life. I know I just made a promise I might not be able to keep. Please help me to keep this one promise.

“What if—”

Jesse laid her hand on the child’s shoulder. “No what-ifs. That’s wasted energy. We need to make some posters to put up around town and then form search teams to scour the area.”

“Then let’s get going.” Cindy took Jesse’s hand and dragged her toward the kitchen.

Jesse threw a glance over her shoulder at the rest of the group who remained standing in the foyer. “You heard her. Hop to it.”

The children sat on the floor in the kitchen and made posters while the adults used the counter and table. Cindy copied off Nate and drew a kitten that looked more like a dog.

Nick leaned close to Jesse and whispered, “Do you think this will help?”

Jesse got a whiff of his clean, fresh scent with that hint of lime. Her pulse rate kicked up a notch. This was a rescue mission, nothing more, she reminded herself and said, “I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t. The people in this town are wonderful. When they hear that Oreo is missing, they’ll help look, too. This is the best way to get the news out. That and talk to whomever we see while we’re putting the posters up.”

Doubt reflected in his gaze, Nick went back to work, absently massaging his thigh.

“Is your leg bothering you?”

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

Jesse wondered about that as she studied the tired lines on his face and the pinched look he wore. He’d already been out looking for the kitten.

“I think it might rain later. I have more trouble when the weather is about to change.”

“Then we’d better hurry and get these posters up. We can probably put them in some storefront windows so if it rains it won’t matter.”

When the group was finished, Cindy wanted to go with Nate and Gramps while Boswell was going to check out the lake area again. Jesse and Nick decided to go in the opposite direction from the children and Gramps. They were all to meet at Harry’s Café on Main Street when they were through.

As they started to go their different ways, Cindy said, “Boswell, please don’t go near Fred and Ethel.”

The older man smiled. “I wouldn’t think of it, Miss Cindy.”

“Oh.” The little girl brought her hand up to cover her mouth, her eyes growing round. “What if Oreo went close to Fred and Ethel? Shouldn’t someone check?”

Jesse bent down in front of Cindy. “Believe me. We would have heard a ruckus if Oreo had. But if it will make you feel better, I can check.”

The tears returned to Cindy’s eyes. “Please.”

“Then that’s my first stop.” She started to stand up.

Cindy tugged on Jesse’s arm, stopping her, and whispered in her ear, “Please don’t let Daddy get too close. I don’t want him hurt again.”

A lump jammed in Jesse’s throat. “I’ll take good care of your father.”

“He might not be able to walk very far. His leg’s hurting him. It always does after he does his exercises. He’ll need to rest, but he’ll act like he doesn’t.”

Surprised at the child’s keen observation and assessment of her father, Jesse gave her a reassuring look. “I’ll make it seem like it’s my idea.”

Satisfied that her father would be taken care of, Cindy hurried to Gramps and Nate at the end of the driveway. Boswell took off toward the lake.

Nick came up beside Jesse. “What was that all about?”

“Nothing. Just girl talk.”

“Girl talk?” He shook his head. “In the middle of all of this?”

“Let’s go. I told Cindy I would check the area by Fred and Ethel’s nest first, but you have to stay back.”

“Believe me, I didn’t have any intentions of going near those two.”

Nick followed Jesse around back of her house and waited by the deck while she approached the two geese. They never took their eyes off her, but they remained quiet while she surveyed the area for she wasn’t sure what. Everyone would have heard if Oreo had come near Fred and Ethel. But a promise was a promise.

As Jesse made her way back to Nick, his gaze fixed on her and her pulse rate responded as it had earlier. For a few seconds she felt as though they were the only two people in the world. He had a way of stripping away the rest of mankind with merely a look. The intensity in his eyes unnerved her. She wasn’t even sure he was aware of it. It cut through defensive layers that protected her heart and was very confounding. When she’d lost Mark she vowed she would never put herself in that position again. The pain of losing her husband had been too much. Sticking to that promise had kept her safe for the past four years.

“All clear,” she said, eager to get their search started. There were lots of people in town and suddenly she needed to be around a lot of people. She might even be able to come up with a third candidate for Nick while they looked for Oreo.

As Nick nailed up the posters, Jesse stopped various townspeople to let them know they were looking for a lost kitten, all black except for a patch of white above his eyes. She assessed the women they encountered as possible candidates, but none were suitable.

“Do you know everyone in town?” Nick asked as he hammered another poster to a telephone pole.

“Practically, but then I’ve lived all my thirty-two years here.”

“I’ve lived all my thirty-five years in Chicago, and I don’t know everyone there.”

Jesse chuckled. “Not the same thing. A few million more in population can make a difference.”

He eyed her. “I’m beginning to wonder with you if it would. Have you ever met a stranger?”

“Sure. You.”

Nick favored his right leg more than usual as he walked beside her down the street. He tried not to act as if it were bothering him, but Jesse noticed, had for the past three blocks. That was why she had taken a shortcut to the café. She’d promised Cindy she would look after Nick—whether the man wanted her to or not. And she suspected he would be appalled if he knew what she was thinking.